Lockdown turns police into ‘inmates’ in nagpur central jail

Nagpur:- The central jail in Nagpur will be completely sealed later this week as a precautionary measure to test the spread of the Corona. In western Maharashtra, seven other jails, including four in Mumbai and Yerawada in Pune, have already gone into lockdown mode following a signal from higher authorities.

It is learned that a whole team of prison officials, including SP Anup Kumar, will enter the prison with their support staff and remain inside until further orders from an officer of at least the rank of police inspector general (IGP). But convicted women and their subordinate employees will live within the jail.

Officials and their entire teams have already spent two weeks inside the prisons in western Maharashtra jails. No one, including the undertrials or convicts, would be allowed to enter or leave the premises except in case of medical emergencies or other conditions that are unavoidable.

SP Kumar said clearance is expected to meet them later this week for going into lockdown. “The provisions were made for camping inside the prison with ample rations to last a considerable time. We also have a doctor inside the medical emergency detention center. Prison lockdown decision is being made to prevent the virus from contracting, “he said.

In order to make the lockdown successful, additional premises have also been approved by the district collector to establish a quarantine facility where the new undertrials would be held for 15 days and their samples sent for testing. “The ones who get bail or those who finish their sentence will be released as usual,” Kumar said.

The prison authorities had already built two quarantine facilities within the premises where a few inmates were housed. After the collector’s approval, they now have an additional 30-bed one produced outside the prison on the program lawn and adjacent to the car wash center owned by the inmate.

Kumar said the quarantine facility was operated by a team, and another will remain in reserve. “Two coordination officers will handle the presentation outside the jail, as well as support staff families. Vendors of vegetables and other important items will be permitted to access the prison staff quarters. We’re piling the ration and other regular needs inside the jail for those, “he said.